A Snowy Christmas
by ConnectingVeins
Summary: Haru has encountered snow for the first time, and it's his first Christmas! And just like humans, he encounters stress when it comes to finding the right gift. After all, he wants to see Yuki smile nice and wide. To him, that would be the greatest present of all...
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: Hello, Tsuritama fans! Happy holidays to you! This is my first story for this series, so I hope you enjoy it. If you find any errors, especially with the characters' personalities, be sure to let me know! Regardless, I hope you enjoy it. Thank you for taking the time to read my work!

This will be a two-shot. The second half will be uploaded later today!

* * *

Haru's eyes fluttered open. The lighting was still dull, so he had either woken up far too early, or it was a cloudy day. But when he glanced over towards the window, he saw something that made him grow stiff.

"Yuki! Yuki! The clouds are falling!"

Haru bounded down the stairs, skipping every two steps. Had the pink and green carpet not been there, the alien boy may have slipped. He found the red haired boy in the kitchen, preparing breakfast. Yuki looked up, brows furrowed. "…What?"

"The clouds are falling, Yuki! Look! Look!" He pointed towards the nearest window, his arm quivering.

Yuki peered out the window and saw that it was snowing outside, giving the backyard a light coating of frost. He chuckled and turned back to his friend. "It's just snow. Although, it doesn't snow that much here, so you should go take a look while it's still there."

"Snow…?"

"Yeah. It's like rain, only it froze when it was in the sky. And it's light, and really cold." He paused. "You've never seen snow before?"

Haru shook his head. His home planet had a very stable temperature range. It never rose too high or got chilly enough for snow to form, so this was a new experience for the boy.

"Then you should go outside." He looked back down, noticing all of the things he had out on the counter. "I'll be there in a minute, I just have to put a few things away…" Yuki said, picking up the ingredients that needed to be refrigerated. Although, at this temperature, Yuki figured it would likely be fine to leave them out. But, he'd rather be safe. Getting food poisoning is one way to ruin the holidays.

Haru rushed for the door. Yuki said it was okay to go without him, and he wanted to see the white stuff that was falling from the sky! The moment he opened the light wood door, a blast of frigid air hit him, and he noticed that the ground was really wet. When it rained and the ground got wet like that, Yuki always wore rain boots. They bought a pair for Haru the last time it rained: bright yellow with white polka dots!

The boy ran back inside to the closet, taking them out along with a matching yellow raincoat. Haru liked the wet, but humans didn't like to go out in the rain without protection. When he asked, he was told that they might get sick. So, he bought along the clothing, anyway.

When he first went out, he had the hood up. But he soon realized that snow was a lot different from rain, so he lowered it and looked toward the sky. The flakes fell softly on his face, almost tickling him. They got caught in his hair and on his eye lashes, and he had to blink many times to make them go away. He laughed aloud and spun around. He loved snow!

"Like it?"

Haru stopped spinning and looked toward the door, arms swaying at his sides. Yuki stood in the entryway, wearing a navy sweater jacket and his own black rain boots. He also wore a smile on his face.

"Yeah!" The alien replied. "I love it! I want it to snow every day!"

Yuki walked over and stood beside him, looking up. "In lots of places, it sticks to the ground. But it's too warm here, and even then, the snow doesn't last too long. It always melts, eventually. I can only remember a few times that it stayed around for a while…"

"Snow… Sticks?"

"Yeah. Because we live near the ocean, snow is usually melts when it hits the ground. But in colder places, and on mountains, it sticks to the ground… It makes everything look white, and you can play with it. You can have snowball fights and make snowmen-"

"Let's go to a mountain!"

The red head jumped and turned to the boy. "Wha-? No, we can't! It's too far away, Haru! It would take forever to get there!" A series of horrible scenarios played through Yuki's head. Avalanches killing them both… One of them slipping on ice and breaking a bone. Frostbite. No, he'd much rather enjoy the snow inside. It's safer. And a lot warmer.

"But Yuuukiii…"

"We haven't even had breakfast yet-"

The blond boy pulled his arm, dragging him out of the backyard with surprising strength. "We need to go to the mountains before the snow stops! It might not happen agaaaain!" He yelled, quite happily. Yuki wasn't particularly happy at being dragged away from the house, but the alien boy seemed to gain agility and strength when he needed it. Apparently, this was one of those times. Yuki struggled to get free, but it was no use.

It was only until they passed under Enoshima's green archway that Yuki managed to break free from Haru. They had alternated between running and walking the entire way, but Yuki was still out of breath. Despite his best efforts to keep himself on both feet, he fell to the ground, soaking his pants and jacket.

"Yuki! Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah… Just… give me a moment."

That moment passed and Haru grew concerned. The morning sun was obscured by the clouds, making it feel earlier than it actually was. But, the day was still young and they were the only two people outside. When it appeared that he wasn't going to get up soon, Haru pulled him onto his feet and helped him over to a red bench.

Within minutes, Yuki began to shiver. Haru felt bad, as it was his fault that Yuki fell. Yuki didn't want to come to begin with…

"Are you okay? You're wet… You might get sick." It seemed as though Haru's abundant energy had disappeared. His shouldered slumped and his head was downcast. He looked at his friend without turning his head. Suddenly, he wished he had one of DUCK's dryer-thingies.

"Yeah… I might." He saw the look on Haru's face and knew that he had upset him. "No! It's alright- I mean… I'll be alright. I don't think we can go to the mountains anymore, though. I'd definitely get sick. Let's go inside someplace."

"Okay…"

They walked through the streets for a while. Most of the businesses were closed and would not open for a few more hours. Heating systems buzzed, working harder than usual. The ocean still rose and fell, its rhythmic sound hardly noticeable. It was always there, but seemed muffled today.

Eventually, they came upon the shopping mall. Yuki never went there often; everything inside of its off-white walls was overpriced and there was simply too much temptation.

But, he knew Haru had never been there. And if there were any establishment open in all of Enoshima, it would be the mall. It had the longest hours, after all.

Yuki breathed out in relief. Even from a good distance away, lights shone through the windows of the building and cars lingered in the parking lot. The mall had been designed to mimic the traditional architecture used in Enoshima. It was predominantly red with a black slatted roof, the tips curling upwards toward the sky.

But, despite its outward appearance, it was quite modern inside. As Haru and Yuki entered, the warmth began to seep into the red head's clothing. It seemed the owners of the building spent extra money on heating during the winter, probably to keep people inside longer. Yuki was still cold, but at least it didn't feel like he would develop frostbite.

Festivity emanated from every corner of the mall. Lighted reindeer decorations hung from the ceiling as though they were flying, pulling a sleigh full of presents behind them. Twinkling lights wrapped around every column. Cotton fluff, meant to look like snow, adorned some of the signs high above the stores. And, the most important decoration of all was visible from every part of the building. The Christmas tree was lit in a series of colors that was set to change every few seconds. Red to blue to green to yellow and back to red. Ball-shaped ornaments hung from every branch, and at the very top, a gold star shimmered.

Haru stopped walking immediately after spotting the decorations. He looked around slowly, his eyes tracing each and every detail of the embellishments. And with each detail he took in, his smile grew and grew.

"Ahhhh, Yukii! It's so prettyyyy! Look, look there's snow in here, too! And the star!"

Yuki laughed. It was hard not to, with Haru being so hyped up. He really did have a way of changing people. His happiness was contagious.

"Yeah! They get put up every year in December. It's for Christmas."

"Christmas…?" He asked with a curious head tilt.

"Yeah, um…" _How do you explain Christmas!? It seems so simple, but… _"It's a holiday. Not really a Japanese one… Well, we do celebrate it, but… Um…" A few people began to notice the pair. Most of them were janitors making sure the building was spotless before the rushpeople came in for the day. Yuki felt a familiar feeling he hadn't felt in a while. It felt as though a rising flood was crawling up him, and-

"What do you do for Christmas?"

Haru's voice pulled him out of his suffering. It was strange, but he found the alien's voice to be comforting. "Well… I guess you give gifts to people. You put the gifts in a box and wrap it up and put it under a tree, like that one." He said, pointing to the tree in the center of the mall. "And then, on the morning of the 25th of December, everyone gets their presents from under the tree and opens them."

"But… that means… Christmas is tomorrow!" The boy yelled, almost in horror.

"Well, uh, yeah! It is tomorrow… Our family doesn't celebrate it, but-"

"I wanna buy a present! A nice present for Yuki!"

Now, even more people were gathering. They pretended to work but kept their eyes on the pair, averting their eyes when Yuki saw them staring. Haru was speaking loudly, which Yuki attributed to the attention. He tried to stay calm, but felt his efforts begin to fail. "Well, y-you don't have to get me anything… I mean, I don't need anything…"

Haru looked a little hurt. "But… I want to…"

"H-hey! It's alright." Yuki said, moving a bit closer to his friend. He lowered his voice, hoping Haru would take the hint. "You don't have to buy me anything. You could make it."

"Make… it?" Haru almost whispered.

"Yeah… Like, a picture, or… something." _Well, that was a failure. What kind of suggestion is _that?

Haru put his hand to his head, playing with some hair. He thought for a few moments, then looked up regretfully. "Mm… I still don't get it."

"That's fine… I mean, we have all day. I don't have any money on me, but you could get some ideas by looking around. It's supposed to be a surprise, though. So you shouldn't tell me what you're planning."

Haru's face lit up. "Okay!"

They spent the entire day there, going to each and every shop. Haru smelled all of the candles and read every Christmas card. There was even an animal shop with a few dogs, some hamsters, and lots of fish! The only shop they ignored was the lingerie shop. The alien was _really _interested in that store, with all of the lacy, shiny things and the nice smells that came from within. But, Yuki couldn't even look in the direction of that store. Just to get Haru to come along, Yuki told him that they could go another time. He knew he'd regret it down the road, but at least he would have time to prepare for the traumatizing experience.

An announcement over the intercom informed the customers that the mall was closing in ten minutes. Haru didn't want to leave, but they had no choice. By the time they exited the mall, the sun had set and the snow had stopped.

But, it stuck a little. Small piles of snow lined the edges of the street. There was even a teeny snowman in front of one house. Off in the distance, the sounds of children having a snowball fight echoed.

Haru ran to the nearest pile of snow and knelt down beside it, feeling it with his hand. Yuki knelt beside him and showed him how to make a snowball. Yuki told Haru that people usually throw the snowballs at each other, but the alien did not show interest in doing that. As they walked home, Haru enjoyed throwing it to see how far it would go, cheering as his snowball hit the ground. Then, he would run to the spot, reform the pile into another snowball, and throw it again. It made no sense to Yuki, as there was snow still on the sides of the street, but he didn't question it. He was used to Haru doing bizarre things by now.

It was as though Enoshima had become a different place. It was quiet, as though the town was holding its breath until Christmas morning. Light reflected oddly off of the snow on rooftops, making the night seem brighter. More snowmen occupied front yards. The moon peaked out now and then, but was mostly lost behind the clouds. It did not matter. The boys could probably find their way home blind, if they needed to.

Kate was waiting for them when they got home. "My, where have you been all day?" The question was not an accusation. It was out of curiosity, and perhaps a bit of hope to hear that her grandson had a good time with his friend.

"Ah… Haru wanted to see the snow. We went into town and visited the mall. We were looking at the Christmas stuff…"

"Oh? And what did you think, Haru?" Kate asked with a kind smile.

"I loved it! I wish it were Christmas all the time!"

Everyone laughed. That was the sort of wish most people had made at some point in their life. The three of them moved into the dining area and found dinner waiting for them, still warm, as though Kate had anticipated their return. They took their places and spoke as they normally did, but Haru grew more and more distant as the night progressed.

It all came from a realization. Humans celebrated this holiday by exchanging thoughtful presents. But, he had not found a single idea through their adventure in the mall, and no matter how much he strained his mind to think of something, anything, nothing would come. Everything he thought of cost money! Fishing gear needed to be bought. Yuki had wanted a new cellphone, as his got drenched many times and hardly functioned. That cost a lot of money. And Kate! What could he possibly give her? She didn't seem to want or need anything, from what he could tell… It was a problem he just could not figure out, and he needed to find a solution before tomorrow morning!


	2. Chapter 2

"Haru?"

He looked up. Yuki was watching him with a look of concern. "You haven't said anything all night… Are you okay? You seem sad…"

Haru looked down at his plate, then back to Yuki. "I didn't get anything for you two… No money…"

Of course. He should have realized it. Had Yuki known that it would have stressed Haru out so much, not being able to get the perfect gift, then he wouldn't have even mentioned Christmas. But, considering how much strain it puts on humans, it's no wonder that Haru was feeling the same thing. Little things like this were what reminded him that they were more same than different…

"That's fine, Haru. It's not about the gifts. Just being able to spend time with you is a gift. I'm sure all four of us will have a wonderful time tomorrow, even without any presents." Kate's words soothed the boy a bit. He liked the thought of his existence making everyone happy. But, he still wasn't completely at ease. He smiled, pretending to be fine. He didn't want either of them to worry. That definitely wouldn't make them happy.

It was only after Haru turned around and saw the backyard that he returned to his normal self. There was lots of snow! It completely covered the ground, making everything look sparkly and dreamlike. That caused an idea to hit him, and he nearly went through with it until he remembered. Presents were supposed to be a surprise. It took every bit of effort to avoid going outside, but the blond alien succeeded. He waited until bedtime when all was quiet through-out the house. He pretended to settle down and sleep, getting giddy just by thinking about his idea. Finally, after a decent amount of time passed, he rose from his chair and padded out of his room. He took a peek into Yuki's room; the boy was facing his wall, but judging from the rise and fall of his breath, it would be safe to assume that he was asleep. He felt no need to check on Kate, as she seemed to fall asleep quickly.

He got to the door, which let out a small squeak when he opened it. He cringed and turned around. No one came. It surprised him, how nervous he was. It wasn't a feeling he experienced often.

The backyard seemed completely different. Unlike other times of the year, no flowers blossomed. The moon had been set free from the clouds, lending the alien its light. He needed it, for what he was about to do.

He sat down a mimicked what Yuki had taught him earlier. Rolling the snow in his hands, he made them into snowballs of three different sizes. He felt like throwing them again, because that was fun, but without someone with him, he knew it wouldn't be the same.

The balls were put into groups of three, small, medium and large. Then, he began to put them together. Four teeny, expressionless snowmen emerged. He took the smallest snowman and began to work on it. It had smooth hair with one weird tuft sticking up and a huge smile. He had this snowman raising its arms in the air, as though it were overjoyed with its life.

The next turned into a representation of Kate, with a wizened smile and short hair. Then, he made his sister, with giving her longer hair and a skirt. Once he finished making her, he began what he knew would be the toughest one: Yuki.

Rather than making Yuki into what he was, Haru made Yuki into what Haru wanted him to be. His physical features remained the same. Medium length hair that was kinda messy, small eyes, and arms that were to his side. But, rather than making the Yuki look quiet or reserved, he gave the snowman a smile that rivaled the Haru's. A beaming smile, because whenever Yuki smiled, Haru felt really, really happy!

But, something felt wrong. Something was missing. The four of them looked a little lonely, like they need more friends… Another idea struck him, something that seemed obvious. He should have realized it before!

He made six more snowballs, enough to make two more snowmen. One with a turban, another with glasses. Akira and Natsuki, and a teeny Tapioca for Akira to hold! Haru set them by his snow family and grinned. It was complete!

"They're amaaazing!" He said to himself happily, wiggling a little. But, a thought made him stop everything, including his breath. A memory came back to him.

"…_the snow doesn't last too long. It always melts, eventually."_ Yuki told him that this morning, yet he had already forgotten. No matter what, the family wouldn't last. He remembered seeing ice melt before, and that thought upset him. Haru wanted the snowmen to last a lot more Christmas's!

His mind raced. He needed to figure out some way to save them, at least until the morning. Leaving them out might work, but without the clouds, the sun might melt them. Maybe. He just felt like something bad would happen if he left them out. He wanted them to be inside. Safe.

Haru sat there, feeling hopeless and inept. Just like before, no ideas would come. He wished he could ask Yuki or Kate for advice. This world was so confusing sometimes. Even little things gave him trouble…

Thoughts of cold things drifted into his mind. Of ice cream and soda and winter and snow. He remembered the water being too cold for him when he tried to take his first bath on Earth. Or how surprised he had been when he opened the fridge for the first time and found out that it was cold. He sat there with it open, as it was nice in the summer time. Until Yuki caught him, that was.

His thoughts dwindled and nothing else came. He sighed. It would seem that leaving them out would be his only option. He got up and went to the door, when he found the solution to his troubles sitting right in front of him. He had forgotten; the fridge had a freezer next to it.

Starting with Yuki, he picked up the snowmen one by one and bought them in. He left them on the counter until he retrieved the last one, and then after rearranging the contents of the freezer, he had enough room for all of them. He placed them at the top of the freezer, which had the only flat part that wasn't a grate.

He smiled. It felt like the freezer was the family's house! Now, they could all be together again!

Haru started to run a few steps, then stopped himself with a giggle. Being so happy about the gift, he nearly forgot that he had to be quiet. He went up the stairs as quietly as he could and returned to his bedroom. It took him hours to get to sleep, as he couldn't stop thinking about how the two of them would react to his surprise.

Rustling, like an earthquake, woke him. Haru groaned. He normally had little trouble waking up, but it really did take him a long time to fall asleep last night…

"Hey, wake up. It's already noon!"

His violet gaze met Yuki's, who was standing over him, nudging his side. Haru rubbed his eyes. They felt itchy.

"We've been waiting for you… There's food downstairs." He paused. "Are you feeling okay?"

Haru nodded, then said "Yes!" to reassure him. And, to make the point that he was feeling fine further, he jumped out of the chair without warning, nearly ramming into Yuki.

"H-hey! Watch it!"

The alien laughed, finding Yuki's surprise to be amusing. He then bounded down the stairs, determined to make it before his friend.

Breakfast was normal. It seemed like any other day, which confused Haru. He expected at least something to feel different. Something almost magical. A few times, Yuki and Kate went into the fridge to get something out. Haru's heart pounded fast, as he hoped they wouldn't open the freezer. What if they already had? He smiled all the same, but kept looking for hints to show if they knew about his surprise or not. He found none.

After they ate, they gathered into the living room. Or, they mainly followed each other. Kate headed into there first, Haru close behind, and Yuki went in, as he didn't seem to know what to do with himself.

Yuki didn't really know why he followed them inside. It just felt like he should spend time with them, as he had a bad tendency to push people away. The safety of his bedroom compelled him to spend more time alone than he wanted. Now, he had a chance to be with them. He just didn't know what to do with that time.

"It's Christmassss!" Haru announced, arms spread wide.

Yuki smiled, feeling his negativity drift away. He supposed that it didn't really matter what they did. As long as they were together.

"Guess what?" The alien asked the two of them with a wide grin.

Yuki kept silent, knowing his grandmother would speak. "What?" She asked, a smile that equaled his.

"I have a surprise! Wait here!" And he dashed out of the room with no further explanation. Yuki and Kate exchanged glances and laughed. It was always nice to see Haru so excited, as long as he wasn't getting into trouble.

That being said, the boy did find some trouble. He didn't think about how he would present the gift to Yuki and Kate… He could bring them out, one by one, but that would take away from the effect. A tray. He needed one. But, the closest he could find was a baking pan. After making an enormous amount of noise and mess, he finally got a pan. He turned around, expecting someone to be watching him, but no one was.

He carefully balanced the snow family on the pan, hoping he could make it. Luckily, he was able to, and with an exaggerated kick to the door, he strode back into the living area.

"Surprisssse!"

"Oh, Haru, how wonderful! Did you make those?" Kate asked, leaning forward from her seat to take a look. There was a kind of shine in her eyes which made her entire face light up.

"Mmmhm!"

Yuki was quiet, and his expression was blank. He had no idea how to react to this; he wasn't expecting anything to happen this morning. Past Christmas's have always been quiet, so even something as small as this surprised him.

He set the tray down onto the table so they all could see. They were perfect. The alien even gave some of the snowmen clothing! Both the Haru and Yuki wore what appeared to be snow boots. Kate had her red jacket and earrings. Coco had her glasses, and almost an exact representation of what she usually wore. The Natsuki also wore glasses, and held a stick with fishing string and a hook attached to it, and wore a crown. Haru recently learned that crowns were for royalty, and since Natsuki was the fishing prince, he had to have a crown! The Akira had a suit jacket and a tie, wearing a turban on his head. Tapioca was in his twig arms.

The Yuki, though, wasn't quite as detailed as the others. He had messy hair and wore the sweater jacket he had on the day before. But, the smile stood out. Haru did a good job on his facial expression.

"It's your Christmas gift!" Haru told them. Kate pointed out all of the details, quite happy with the results. But, Yuki remained silent. His snow-self bothered him, for some reason.

"Hey… Um, Haru?"

"Yes?"

"W-what's with the smile?" It was obvious that it was done on purpose. Yuki never smiled like that. He certainly hoped he didn't. It looked kinda… silly.

"I made you smile big, because when you smile big, I smile big, too! I want to see you smile more, Yuki! So, I made your snowman smile big!"

And now he knew why it bothered him. His initial reaction was guilt. But, then he was touched by the thought. Very few people had ever said anything remotely close to that in his entire life.

"Ah… thanks. I… don't know what to say." He paused, shifting his weight. "I'll try to fix that. But, I'll need your help… Okay?"

"Promise!"

And for the first time that day, Yuki smiled widely. And somehow, it turned out to be contagious, just like Haru's. Yuki took a picture of the "snow family" with his cell phone to reassure Haru that even after they melted, they could still make the real family happy. Haru liked that idea, and for many months afterward, he would occasionally ask to see the picture again. It made the two of them smile wide, every single time.


End file.
